Not just California backcountry...
I’ve hiked all over the Smoky Mountains and haven’t seen a “person of color” in the backcountry there either...And very, very few in the campgrounds in the Park....
Try getting the average black.person to join a sailing trip across Lake Michigan in a 29 foot sloop.
Ever think about this???
African-Americans love to associate themselves with their “African roots”, yet, in Africa, quite a lot of the black Africans live in the wild...They hunt, fish, tend livestock, grow their own food...
The “African-Americans” live in urban city settings and very seldom go in the wild...
I've hiked extensively in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Don't remember seeing any black hikers on any of the trails, nary a one. Nor do I see any blacks on any of the nature cruises I've taken down local rivers, or in the field birding. Virtually all my fellow hikers, cruisers, and birders were Caucasian, with the occasional Asian.
I did see something while traveling by car this summer...a large group of ASIAN motorcycle riders, mostly with their wives...
you see some people can break the stereotypes and others just refuse...